Dear Members and Friends:

Our Spring meeting will be held on Saturday April 18th at the Belle Cooledge Library (5600 South Land Park Drive 95822) from 1:30 until 4. "Coming Out Of Hibernation" will be our main topic. There is always plenty to talk about regarding feeding, soaking, illnesses, lethargy, swellings, etc. etc. I do hope most of your turtles hibernated successfully and woke up alert and hungry. Some of our pets will continue sleeping for another month!! Some of the females of all species may begin laying eggs as early as April so be prepared. I'll have a few examples of inexpensive incubators at the meeting. If you choose to leave the eggs in the ground, then cover the spot so another turtle doesn't come along and lay eggs in the same nest or perhaps the same mother will return to lay her second clutch in the same spot. Trust those who have gone before you. It happens!!

This meeting will also mark our club's 28th anniversary. I will bring a cake, however, it will be on the table behind me this time so nobody will be able to cut it up and give it out before we are ready for it as they did last year. Come to think of it, let's just have the cake first!!

Your turtles are always welcome for Show and Tell, so please consider giving a short presentation. We definitely need to share information whether it be good or bad. If you are too shy to speak in front of a room full of people, write it down and hand it to me.

Our January Slumberama was anything but!! It was a beautiful day, as always, on that third Saturday in January. There was a good crowd, lots of good food and a good raffle and lots of good turtle talk! Thank you all for your continued support, great attendance and raffle and sale table and pot-luck and $$$ donations. YOU ARE ALL TERRIFIC!!

SEE YOU AT THE MEETING!!

TURTLE SLANGUAGE - Ever since I wrote "Don't Call Us Boxies" in one of my newsletters, people have been asking me what it means. It all began when I heard someone refer to a box turtle as a 'boxie'. I thought they were talking about men's underwear or a popular breed of dog. It did not dawn on me that they were talking about box turtles. The word 'boxie' was repeated and in no time at all, other people were saying it and I was terribly disheartened to see the word 'boxie' appearing in various turtle and tortoise club newsletters. What is going on? What is happening? Could it be a case of TURTLE SLANGUAGE??

Here are other examples of what people are calling their pets: Chinese Boxies, Juvvies, Margies, Fecal People, Hermies, Hingies, Leps, Trops, Bellies, Panqueques, Flat Packs, Chummy Stackers, Soft Rockers, Gulfies, Woodies, Horsies, Turds, Rushies, Sulkies, The POOPS, Torties. And last but not least, when a turtle or tortoise is ill, it becomes a SICKIE!!

Keeping turtles and tortoises has a certain stigma attached to it. We keepers are likely to be thought of as weird by those who have no use for shelled creatures. Therefore, we must pursue our hobby with a great deal of dignity and respect. Although we love our pets, we must be careful not to appear silly since most people don't see turtles and tortoises as being 'cuddly' creatures to be cooed to and hugged. If you want to call them 'boxies' in private, that's fine, but please don't put it into print for all the world to see and possibly giggle at. If one subscribes to magazines such as Dog Fancy or Horse Fancy or Cat Fancy, you never see anyone referring to their animals as doggies, horsies, froggies or puddy-wuddy's. CASE CLOSED!!

Sliders Sliders Everywhere!! I can't help myself. I cannot say NO to anyone who wants to give their turtles away - however - this winter I begged people to wait until the weather got a little warmer since I have no indoor facilities for water turtles. I did adopt 9 out to a gentleman with a 9000 gallon pond a few days ago. Please get on the adoption list if you have a pond in need of more turtles.

There were several casualties over the winter in the main pond. I'm a little nervous, hoping there is no disease going through my colony. I try to keep the new turtles separated from the long term pets but sometimes enthusiastic people will drop their turtles into my pond without first asking me if it is ok. I would have necropsies done on the deceased but a vet told me that one would cost more than $600 and to save my money because the results are never conclusive. Has anyone ever learned the true cause of death besides an obvious bladder stone or impacted or broken egg? Almost all deaths are blamed on 'liver problems'

Winter was a bit harsh here in Sacramento with icy nights and cold days. On February 20th, however, I noticed some turtles basking and a few tortoises, mainly Russians and Greeks, sitting out in the afternoon sun. Fat Betty emerged on February 27th ready for another season of weather forecasting. She feels it will be a cool summer in spite of the global warming predictions.

Just Jim Junior appeared in mid-February with no indication as to where he had been hibernating. He looked good tho, dry and healthy. I notice that the tortoises who are allowed to roam the yard and then hibernate wherever they see fit, do a lot better than the ones I try to put into hibernation elsewhere. They seem restless and keep coming out to bask even in the pouring rain. It's as if they have a death wish.

Meanwhile, indoors, about 18 leopard tortoises hatched but most won't be up for sale until they are eating and thriving. They joined the 4 baby box turtles lost and found by the cat a few months ago and a box turtle given to me by a gentleman from Lake Tahoe. The turtle sits patiently awaiting his daily mealworms and nightcrawlers after a very shy beginning.

The Greenhouse residents had a very quiet winter. Nobody got sick! Doug, the deformed leopard who had been kept in an aquarium, refused to eat for awhile, but after a long soak one day, he began to eat and hasn't slowed down yet! His girlfriend, Darwin,who has the same abnormalities, has continued to eat well but these two are so deformed that it is a worry. I do hope that once outdoors, they will be able to grow out of these 'lumps' somewhat and be able to walk like normal tortoises.

There is a small Sulcata here who had a prolapse and I didn't want to adopt him out in that condition and I didn't want to take him to a vet either because he didn't seem uncomfortable and could resolve the problem whenever he felt like it. The problem seems much better now. But another problem has come to light. I really like this feisty little guy!! And he likes me! He is very personable and quite the handsome one.

I'll be glad to say goodbye to this winter. We never know what is going to happen during hibernation and it is so good to see our little friends again at this time. I know we all do our very best to keep them alive. Please consider buying a DRIVEWAY PATROL to protect your pets from raccoons. Check the website.

Spring Reminders: CLEAN UP THE YARD!! You don't want any little white rocks around because most tortoises love to eat them. Human and pet hair can be a problem on the ground as are baggie ties, string, nails and screws and even basins full of water. Tortoises seem drawn to where they shouldn't be. I may be doing a bad thing by feeding the birds because the seeds are on the lawn below the feeder and some tortoises are eating it. I've since put a large bucket beneath the feeder to catch the seed. DUH!!

I believe there will be many box turtles and some tortoises for sale at the Spring meeting and I have gotten a lot of nice donations for our sale table and raffle. See you there!!

Note: FUTURE EVENTS:

July 18th Meeting 1:30 - 4
August 15th TURTLERAMA 11-4
October 17th Meeting 1:30 - 4
January 16th - Slumberama Meeting 1-3

All Events Take Place at the Belle Cooledge Library